Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities Batman, Detective Comics and All-Star Batman

^^^ The Question back-up has been completely pointless. I don't think I've ever read more of a non-story in comics. It's only saving grace has been the pretty artwork by Hamner.

Re: the secret tunnels in Wayne Manor. Yep - at first I was like 'Hold on. How is this remotely possible with all the times the place has been destroyed and rebuilt?' but then I put on my time-travel hat and thought 'OK well - Bruce got thrown into the past AFTER all those events happened therefore whatever clues he left in the past shouldn't take effect in the present until after the point he was Omega-Beamed. Therefore they weren't there to be destroyed during the earthquake but are there now for Dick to find'.

I'm not sure if my rationale makes sense to anyone but me but it's some comic book logic I can get behind (unlike a certain new development about all life in the universe beginning on Earth... grumble).

Well, it's not like we actually have time travel, so everything about it is theoretical. Not to mention DC's had several takes on it themselves. Your rationale works pretty well in this instance.

Actually it makes perfect comic book sense.

The Batwoman run on Detective ended exactly like I hoped it would. It sounds like Rucka is leaving comics for a while and won't be around for a Batwoman ongoing. I hope they find another writer and continue with the planned book.

I'm dropping Detective now that the run is over. I'm dropping Batman and Robin, as well. The return of Bruce Wayne story line has no appeal for me. It has over hyped "event" written all over it. Wake me up when it is over. Looking forward to the final issue of Widening Gyre...

With Greg Rucka leaving, who could write the Batwoman? If Williams left, who could draw her?

I guess Morrison's been following your posts Reboot. Dick asks the same question in the latest issue. The answer is that this wing suffered less damage in the Earthquake. According to Alfred, if the whole mansion was leveled they'd still be rebuilding.

#11 is another excellent entry in this string of excellent Morrison-Batman stories and if the final part of the tale in next month's issue is as good as the previous two have been then it will easily be my favourite since the book became Batman & Robin.

Just loved the whole premise of Robin and Gravedigger fighting those villains in the graveyard in the rain while Dick searched through the spooky secret tunnels and blackmagic ritual chambers underneath Wayne Manor and Alfred hovered in the awesome new flying Batmobile watching everything going on below him. Morrison really knows how to use the parameters of the comic book medium to serve his stories. Nothing's ever stale and boring in his books!

I'm intrigued by the mystery of the Gravedigger too. Not sure who he really is but I think I'll be disappointed if he turns out to be Bruce Wayne and I will absolutely scream if he turns out to be The Joker (as a lot of people have suggested). Can't we have one good Batman story without that over-exposed, over-valued and just plain OVER character having to pop up in every single one of them?!? The books aren't called Batman and the Joker for cripes sake!

With the return to his RIP storylines, I'm enjoying the latest Batman & Robin story much more than the previous. He's got me curious again, even though I feel the clues he's provided here almost solve the entire mystery without spelling it out.

Still hate Damien; still don't see Dick as Batman as being anything different or special.

RE: Rucka leaving DC. Though it sucks that he won't be writing Batwoman, I say good for Rucka. They've obviously strung him along long enough regarding the Batwoman comic. At least Williams will be heading up the title in his absence.

I am glad Batman is returning to Detective again. I feel it's absolutely 'his book', something he earned in 1940. That being said, I'm glad Batwoman is getting her own title as the feature has more than earned it; and I'm glad if Detective high-profiled her more (though honestly, as a Bat-related character she'll always live and die by the success and marketing of Bruce Wayne, just like the rest).

Batman V Robin. Revelations abound, a build up to the return of Bruce wayne. (Really, it's right there on the cover, in case you hadn't heard.) And we're going to see dick face off against the Joker.

The story seemed to wrap up rather quickly, but this arc was fun. Talia really is becoming her father's daughter isn't she? And nice to see some mention of the Bludhaven massacre.

Morrison had said that readers should think of the Joker as a behind-the-scenes presence throughout B&R, so his arrival comes as no surprise, but

<span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text">I was hoping it wouldn't be Oberon Sexton. I was starting to like the guy.</span></span>

Otherwise, this book continues to be one of my faves, and if DC decided to swipe from the current Captain America and keep Dick as Batman, I wouldn't mind at all.

I'm behind on Batman & Robin, but I did read the latest (or maybe not?) of Detective Comics and Batman.

Rucka's run on Detective is coming to a close and its still as great as ever, even with J.H. Williams taking a break and Jock providing art. I thought the 'Cutter' story was definitely out there, but not in a bad way. I'm also glad to see Bette Kane becoming a more prominent part of Kate's mythos.

Meanwhile, after really finding Tony Daniel's Batman really week for most of the run so far, the latest copycat killer story has really raised my interest. I feel like Daniel has upped his game and I like it. Daniel is also doing something Morrison is finally doing, which is showing 'Dick as Batman but still being Dick'. Too bad it took this long for them both to do it. And Guilliem March coming over from Gotham Sirens works great for me, as his artwork is terrific. He draws more than just attractive characters--his action sequences and elaborate murder scenes were really awesome to behold.

I'm still so unsure of what is going to happen to Dick once Bruce is Batman again. First, if Dick dies, I'll certainly make sure all posters who supported this status quo are hounded on Legoin World ( ). However, I feel like his going back to being Nightwing is going to feel very weird.

Also, is anyone still collecting any of other Bat-titles: Red Robin, Streets of Gotham, Gotham Sirens or Batgirl? I dropped them all very early on and never looked back. Only Lardy's words on Batgirl made me give a second thought but I just wasn't feeling it enough.

I buy all of them.

Same here, SK.

B&R and 'Tec were so great, I think it raised my expectations a little for all of the Batbooks. Having stuck it out on all of them, i can appreciate them all more now then when I first read them.

Batgirl is a good read each month. Gotham Sirens isn't quite Secret Six or BOP, but also a nice read each month. I'm really excited with Fabian N taking over Red robin (even if I don't like the name.) Streets of Gotham is maybe the weakest one for me. I don't read Azreal at all.

Well I was as disappointed as I said I'd be with the Oberon Sexton reveal. Ugh! Talk about dragging a formerly great arc right down into the gutter.

That wasn't my only problem with #12 though. I felt it lacked the polish and energy that the previous two parts had. Not to mention lacking a conclusion. Is the next issue a new arc or a continuation of this one?

My other and possibly main issue was Dick telling Slade he'd be coming for him another time. WHAT!?! Slade Wilson destroyed an entire city filled with Dick's friends and colleagues. Catching him and putting him in jail should be Dick's NUMBER #1 priority! It's ridiculous to me that he would let him just walk around after having done something like that. Was great to see him punching him out though.

The next arc continues from this one. The cover is on DC's THE SOURCE blog.

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2010/05/

I concur that Dick should be spending more time going after Slade, but if he does it in that situation, he's a dead man.

After reading the conclusion(?) to the exploration of Wayne Manor arc, I'm finding myself growing more and more interested in Batman & Robin for the first time since perhaps the title began. Naturally that has to do with the return of the Black Glove, Bruce Wayne's potential involvement with the history of his family and other cool subplots from Morrison's run on Batman. I do think Blacula's complaints on the latest issue were valid though, so the story wasn't quite 'excellent', but it was a step in the right direction for me.

The Oberon Sexton reveal wasn't too disappointing for me because I knew that character would have to be back on the table for when Morrison started moving things along again so I've been expecting him.

I'm excited as all heck for the Black Glove storyline and the Thomas Wayne character. I now think I've got some personal theories that tie it all together nicely. Do any of you know of any great blogs that lay it all out? Is "the Black Glove is the Devil" theory basically the one everyone accepts now? Opinions? I know so many people take it as that but I like to think there is more to the mystery still. Even if its the demon Barbatos inhabiting the body of the first Thomas Wayne.

Meanwhile, I also picked up The Return of Bruce Wayne which I've eagerly been awaiting. As much as I love Dick, I've been vocal about how I haven't liked his as Batman. At long last, we get the 'real' Batman back, with Bruce being his awesome self even if he is hardly speaking. I'm excited for this storyline and how Morrison is going to get him back to the present, even though it took quite awhile for me to get excited.

I didn't realize the awesome Chris Sprouse was doing the artwork--great news! I love his very unique style and feel like I haven't seen it in forever. I wouldn't have expected him with Grant on Batman so that makes me more curious and enthusiastic about it.

I'm really in no hurry to find out. Most of what makes that character work is the mystery, so if we never really find out, I'm good with that too. Plus, it's fun to watch certain fans pop blood vessels every time the Glove claims to be something, because everything a character says in a comic is the truth.

Yeah, I'm also enjoying Batman fans lose their minds over it. Have you ever visited the DCMB's Batman forum? It's like Thunder Dome over there when someone mentions the Black Glove.

I'm actually not in a huge rush to find out either, but I find it so interesting that I can't help but speculate. It's probably the comic book mystery that has intrigued me the most in the last 10 years. And so much is based on random tidbits Grant throws out, or clues that very likely aren't clues at all but something a random character said. Love it.

I'd pretty much given up on all message boards bar this one (and I haven't been around here much either), so I haven't had the pleasure of discussing comics on the DCMB recently.

Speculation is good. Speculation should be encouraged. Speculation means that you're thinking about the comics you're reading. That Morrison's work always gets me to thinking (even when I think the story in question doesn't succeed on its own terms) is why he's currently my favorite writer.

Yeah, I can sometimes be tough on Grant in some reviews, but he's a favorite of mine. He *always* makes me think. I spent countless hours thinking about Seven Soldiers when I should have been working.

As for the DCMB's--I just watch posters heads explode, but I don't actually feed the animals...

A caveat: Isn't "Black Glove" the name of the organization and "Doctor Hurt" the name of the lead villain? If I'm wrong about this, then I'm hopelessly confused!

Technically yes, although, really, Hurt IS the Black Glove as the other members are superfluous (and as we've seen, quite expendable).

Yeah, its not 100% clear yet. The internet may tell you otherwise but it's never been spelled out (on purpose, I'd wager).

The Black Glove is certainly the organization, but Dr. Hurt may be the Black Glove, or may work for a "Black Glove" person.

The Satan theory includes Dr. Hurt = Black Glove, in that he is a glove for the hand that is Satan (I think). It could also work that Dr. Hurt = Thomas Wayne (the descendent, not Bruce's Dad) acting as a glove for the demon Barbatos, who is possessing him. (OM, correct me if I'm wrong). It's all still vague.

Tony Daniel's second half to the Blackspell/Riddler storyline was a bit of a step backwards I think in regards to his storytelling. It remains a bit disjointed and clunky and the end felt more like a non-end to me. Still, the premise was decent.

Meanwhile, David Hine has the unfortunate job of doing the first Batman in Detective story with Rucka and Batwoman's exit. I actually thought it was a really good story, and one of the better offbeat, dark detective stories for Dick as Batman so far without the Morrison inherit weirdness. It follows up on the fascinating Jeremiah Arkham given the recent changes undergone by his character and is shaping up to be a solid read.

The Question back-up however has become basically something I skim over and rush to put down.

Guys, I've been re-reading that Batman: The Cult book.

I'm pretty sure this is where Morrison got the name "Miagani" from.